News

Three-quarters of Czechs view the country's labour shortage as a serious problem and 60 percent expect the situation to get worse over the next 10 to 15 years, suggests a survey conducted by the STEM/MARK agency for recruitment company Orienta Czech.

However, only 19 percent of respondents support the active recruitment of non-nationals and one in three would prefer to resolve the situation without the hiring of foreigners.

Six Czech Army tanks took part in a motorway driving drill on the D35 in the Olomouc Region on Tuesday. The Leopard 2A4 tanks reached speeds of up to 60 kilometres an hour and were fitted with rubber pads on their tracks to prevent damage to the motorway, Tomáš Suchý, commander of the 73rd Tank Battalion in Přáslavice, told Czech Television.

He said Czechia was a transit country for NATO troop movements and the country’s armed forces needed to train for such operations.

The convoy of tanks were spaced around nine kilometres apart and travelled a set route repeatedly, giving a turn to the 30 or so drivers trained to use them.

Czechia will once again boost its consular services in Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece this summer, the minister of foreign affairs, Petr Macinka, said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also preparing a special rapid response consular team to deal with potential emergency situations in the three countries, which are popular destinations for Czech tourists.

Czech police officers will also take part in patrols alongside colleagues in Croatia and Bulgaria, Mr. Macinka told reporters.

International addiction specialists and academics from European, American and Australian universities have called on the Czech government to preserve the country's current drug policy model, describing it as one of the most successful in Europe and an example for others to follow.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), the experts expressed concern over discussions about moving from regulation to repression and bringing the drug agenda under a single ministry. "The Czech approach has earned global respect precisely because it has never reduced drug policy solely to healthcare or criminal justice," the signatories wrote.

The letter was signed by 35 academics, physicians, researchers and experts in addiction and mental health. It highlights the Czech Republic's low rates of infectious diseases, relatively few drug-related deaths and extensive network of support services.